Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Vicki Zhao, 19
Studying in the University of Taiwan, majoring in law.
Works part time as a model to please her mother, who was an ex-model.
Parents are outrageously rich, and her father, William Zhao, a big producer is
currently working on a new film ‘Major Meltdown’
She hates movie stars because she feels that they are all shallow and phony.
Lives in an off campus appartment with her bast friend Ruby Lin, and only goes
home at her father’s request.
Likes writing poetry, as it allows her to express her feelings.
Ruby Lin, 19
Also studying at the University of Taiwan, but is enrolled in Premed.
Known Vicki since they were six, and had been best friends since.
Also a model.
Parents also very rich, and very close to the Zhaos.
Is very sweet and lives with Vicki, but goes home every week to visit Mrs Lin
who recently had a storke but was recovering rapidly.
Likes reading & Studying
Alec Su,20
School of performing arts, but is not attending school at the moment.
Is currently working on a film called ‘Major Meltdown’, along with Leila
Khoo
Lives in an apartment with best friend Jimmy Lin, as parents live in Canada
Is surprisingly down to earth and sometimes wonders why he is so famous.
Enjoys sports.
Jimmy Lin, 20
School of Performing arts, but already, like Alec has a career, though his is
singing
Just broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Ann Woo, though on good terms.
Both Parents died when he was 17, and although he has a working brother, he is
determined to earn his own schooling
Also enjoys sports
Other characters-
Leila Khoo: a very snobby actress who is obsessed with fame and secretly has a
crush on Alec. She is evil.
Ann Woo: Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend. She is also a model and is with Ford agency,
the same company as Ruby and Vicki. She is very sweet but did not find TRUE LOVE
with Jimmy, instead finding it with her present boyfriend, Philip.
Kenneth Yang, a world famous photographer who is selecting models for his book,
Fab Faces II. His first work Fab Faces established many models.
Vincent Ye: Vicki’s ex-boyfriend who dumped her. Later becomes very jealous of
Alec. Is as evil as Leila.
Erin Zhao: Vicki’s sister. She studies at Wu Shao High School, and is very
close to Vicki and Ruby.
Grace Lin: Ruby’s mother. She suffers from a massive stroke3 months ago, but
is recovering rapidly at the Lin mansion. Is always supportive of Ruby.
William Zhao: Vicki’s father. Owns Zhao productions. Is constantly nagging at
Vicki to cross over into acting
Meanwhile, Alec Su had just arrived back in Taipei and was unpacking his
suitcase. His housemate, Jimmy Lin was helping him.
"So, Alec", he questioned slyly. "how was filming with Leila Khoo?"
Alec made a face and sat down.
"Gross. She's a baaad kisser", Jimmy laughed "and she's beyond
pushy. She's always giving the media the impression we're a couple. She's also
constantly asking me out, even though I've made it clear I've got zero interest
in her."
Jimmy mocked sighed "Yeah. Must be togh to be gorgeous and have every girl
in Taiwan idolise you."
Alec grinned " Look who's talking , you moron."
Alec’s palm Pilot Journal:
Rough day on the set. Leila kept screwing up the scene, don’t ask me why.
Overheard her telling some dumb tabloid that I was going to her house for
dinner. All I can say is, you can keep on dreaming baby. Tomorrow night I have
some dinner at Mr. Zhao’s place. I hate those things. Mr. Zhao’s okay and
everything, but those ‘party’s’? BORING! All everyone does is just stand
around and brag about their latest car, blah blah blah . To top it off, he has a
teenaged daughter. Oh boy. Not another groupie.
Anyway, about Jimmy. Man, oh, man, I wish I could help him but I‘m pretty much
useless in the matters of the heart. I’ve never fallen in love before.
Doesn’t that sound strange for a twenty year old to be saying? But it’s
true. I’m still waiting for that perfect girl.
Vicki tugged on a pair of army green cargoes over her slim hips and studied
herself in the mirror. She wore a long sleeved Red T-shirt with a Pink T-shirt
over that. She decided she was satisfied with herself, grabbed her lavender
shoulder bag and took off.
She was meeting her booker (the person who set up appointments for her modeling
jobs) then she had to head back to the University for an English lit lecture.
Awhile later, she pushed open the door of Ford, the agency that she and Ruby
were attached to. She bumped into Ann Woo, and her girls exchanged hellos. Vicki
and Ann had worked together before, and although they weren’t very close, both
had made fast friends.
Ann is really nice, Vicki recalled. Sorta like Ruby. Sweet and funny and not at
all stuck up.
She got to the door of her booker, Jill Ang’s office.
“Come in.”, said Jill in her clear voice. When she saw Vicki, she smiled and
motioned towards a big armchair.
“Great news, Vic, great news. Kenneth Yang wants you in his next book. KENNETH
YANG, Vicki!”
Kenneth Yang was a really good photographer. His first book had started the
career of many models.
Vicki controlled herself from standing up and dancing around the room.
Breathe, Vic, Breathe.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
After a short briefing with Jill, Vicki practically ran out of the room, feeling
extremely lightheaded. She was almost late for her lecture, but she had to tell
Rudy.
Time: 14:57
From: Vicki Zhao
To: Ruby Lin
Subject: Kenneth Yang
Hey rubs! I’m at Prof Leong’ s lit class right now. Know I shouldn’t be
emailing during class, but everyone else is typing their report and I already
finished. I have the most amazing news. Kenneth Yang wants me for his new
book!!!!! Isn’t that cool or what? Just talked to Jill about it. Anyway got to
go, Prof’s giving me the eye.
*lol*
Vicki
Time: 15:48
From: Ruby Lin
To: Vicki Zhao
Subject: Congrats!
Wow Vics, congrats! I am so jealous. You must’ve been really outstanding to
get picked. I’m really happy for you. I’m at my mom’s place. Settle your
own dinner, okay?
Love, Ruby
XXXOO
“I dunno about this,” Jimmy said.
He and Alec were making their way towards the back of the restaurant Treehouse
where Ann always sat. Both were wearing sunglasses and baseball caps.
Alec rolled his eyes.
He stopped short before the table that Ann was sitting at. He realized that she
wasn’t alone. Sitting next to her was one of the most gorgeous women he had
ever seen (and he’d seen a lot of beautiful women). But it was something else
that made Alec feel an instant connection, an instant attraction with her. She
was laughing at something that Ann just said. Suddenly, Alec’s heart was
filled with a longing. A longing to make this girl laugh, to make her smile, to
make her want to kiss him.
‘She’s the one I’ve been holding out for’ the realization hit Alec like
a jolt, his breath coming faster and faster.
“Earth to Alec,” came Jimmy’s voice.
Alec snapped out of his reverie.
Oh my God. Now the girl had turned her beautiful, luminous eyes on him. He
waited for a sign, a giveaway that she too was feeling the strong current of
electricity and sparks.
Instead, a look of boredom came over her delicate features.
He felt his heart sink. Really. It wasn’t just an expression. He could feel it
contract in his chest.
His felt so crestfallen, so let down. Here was the girl of his dreams, the girl
he was destined for, and she was looking at him like he was last night’s
leftovers.
How lucky could he get?
He turned his attention back to Ann, who was introducing them
“…and guys, this is Vicki Zh-…”
“Just call me Vicki,” interrupted Vicki curtly
Jimmy gave Ann a puzzled smile.
Suddenly, realization hit Ann like a slap in the face.
Vicki hated showbiz people! Ann recalled something that Vicki ever said about
them being phony. ‘What have I done?’she thought miserably.
Jimmy sat down across from Ann and looked around. What was with these guys? Ann
was staring at the table with a really guilty look on her face. Vicki was
picking at her nails. Alec was staring at Vicki as if her face held the secret
meaning of life.
‘Have they all been possessed by aliens?’ he wondered
After a very awkward meal, Vicki excused herself, saying that she had errands
to run.
Once she left, Jimmy demanded. “Why are you acting so weird Alec? Like a moron
or something.”
Alec groaned and buried his face in his hands,
Ann rolled her eyes at Jimmy.
“Alec is, shall we say, learning the meaning of falling in love. Too bad…”
Alec looked up. “Too bad what?”
Ann hesitated before answering.
“Her name is Vicki Zhao. You know, the daughter of William Zhao.”
Alec’s eyes filled with understanding. This was the ‘groupie’ he had
moaned about?
Ann positioned her body so that she faced Alec.
“She’s at ford too. She is still studing; at the University of Taiwan’s
law faculty. She finds all movie stars shallow and phony. Especially the kind
that the papers call ‘Taiwan’s biggest heartthrob’,”
“And that,” Jimmy said, “would be you my friend.”
Ann looked at Alec sympathetically. “Boy Alec, you have your work cut out for
you.”
Alec didn’t disagree.
Minutes later, Vicki stepped out of the tiny changing room.
The gown was truly stunning. The top was a simple tube of Thai silk. The floor
length skirt was simply layers and layers of taffeta. With it she wore satin
white gloves that reached above her elbow and pure white satin heels.
‘This is the gown I’ll wear if I get married.’ Vicki thought.
She saw Ann emerge out of another changing room in a pale blue organza dress.
When she spotted Vicki, her eves widened and she quickly hurried over.
“Wow,” she exclaimed.
Beth strolled over. Vicki knew her pretty well as she always requested for Vicki
to model her gowns. She was a motherly old English lady with a wonderful eye for
design.
“Why, aren’t both of you a picture.”, she said smiling.
Soon the photo shoot started and Vicki and Ann started twirling, posing and
smiling for the camera.
Just then, Alec and Jimmy walked in.
(Well Jimmy walked. Alec practically ran in)
The boys were a half-hour early, so Alec had dragged Jimmy in in hopes of seeing
his beloved Vicki.
He was well rewarded. The sight of Vicki in that amazing dress simply took his
breath away.
He imagined himself waiting at the altar of a church for his beautiful bride
Vicki.
“Alec!” Jimmy hissed.
Alec came to attention immediately. He’d been so wrapped up in his little
daydream that he’d completely spaced out on the fact that the photo shoot had
wrapped up.
“Hey guys!” Ann greeted.
Alec forced himself to look at Ann, tearing his eyes off Alec.
Ann continued. “Miss Zhao here has graciously accepted my request to go for
dinner with us. We’re going to get changed now. Then Vicks’ll take Alec’s
car and I’ll take Jimbo’s.”
Alec snuck a glance at Vicki, and realized that she too was having a hard time
tearing her eyes off him. His heart began to beat faster.
Ann grabbed Vicki’s arm and dragged her away.
Alec had seen the look in Vicki’s eyes.
Could it be….?
He turned to Jimmy and Jimmy nodded with a look of total understanding in his
eyes.
Yes, it could.
Both of them were silent. The nervous tension in the air was almost so thick
that Vicki felt that she couldn’t breathe.
Alec drove a BMW Roadster convertible and had rolled down the top. She leaned
against the leathery car seat and breathed in deeply.
Darn. Even the car seat smelt pleasantly of Alec; a bit like his musk shampoo,
clean male sweat and his intoxicating cologne all rolled into one.
Meanwhile, Alec too was breathing in Vicki’s scent… sweet flowery shampoo,
and the nicest perfume.
Vicki tried to shut out these thoughts, but to no avail. Instead she looked up
into the sky. Even though it was only seven, it was already dark outside. The
midnight black sky was filled with stars.
“Wow. The sky is so beautiful.” She murmured, almost to herself.
Alec laughed. Just hearing his deep, rich laugh made tingles shoot down
Vicki’s spine.
“You know, when I was a kid, I’d used to think that the sky was a large
velvet blanket and stars were holes in the blankets, with light shining through
from the heavens.”
“Awww..that’s so sweet.” Vicki said, smiling at the mental picture of a
younger Alec staring at the stars.
“That’s were I feel like I am now. In heaven.”
Vicki blushed and looked out the window.
They sat in silence till they reached Burger Planet. But this time the silence
was comforting, not stiffing.
When they arrived, Ann and Jimmy were already there. But the two sat in
silence. They really didn’t know how to act around each other anymore. The
last time they were alone was the night that they broke up. The night Ann told
him that she didn’t love him anymore. That maybe she never did. She’d told
him that she had never felt the strong rush of feelings that she had when
she’d met Philip. Philip, Philip, Philip.
He’d asked her that night what Philip had and that he didn’t. “He has my
heart.” She had answered simply. Then she’d left him there.
Just thinking about it sent bolts of pain rippling through his heart.
But the other, more rational part of him told him that all she’d said was
true. There was only mutual attraction that caused them to start going out.
He’d simply lived in the illusion that he was in deep love. The breakup was
for the best. Better now then one day, at the altar, and they suddenly realized
that they never really loved each other. Yet these thoughts didn’t make it
easier for him to bear with it.
Now Alec and Vicki were arriving, and both of them would have to put on a show
that they were “best buddies” for the sake of Vicki, who had no idea that
they were past lovers.
Alec and Vicki made their way over to the table, and Alec walked closer then
necessary, so that their hands brushed against each other once in awhile.
‘Well,’ Jimmy thought. ‘At least it’s kind of funny as Alec falls in
love.’
After their main course, Vicki was already put at ease by the friendly banter
of Jimmy and Ann. Alec didn’t really talk much, just gazed across the table at
her with an adoring look in his eyes, that well, basically said all that was in
his heart.
Whenever Vicki looked into his eyes, she would feel butterflies in her stomach.
As she glanced at him again, probably for the hundredth time that night, she
felt a wave of emotion, confusing emotions, come over her.
Her head started to feel light and she started to feel something well up in her
chest. Part of her really really wanted to run to Alec and hold him and never
let go. Another part of her told her to run as far as she could go.
‘I’m in love’ she realized.
No, no, no. This could not be happening. Alec Su equals Mega Star. Vicki Zhao
equals Anti Mega Star.
But she couldn’t deny it anymore, even from herself. And she was the Queen of
Stubbornness and denial. She was falling head over heals for Alec Su. Truly,
Madly, Deeply.
These thoughts were running through her head at a mile a minute.
Suddenly, to the surprise of Alec, Ann, and Jimmy, Vicki abruptly stood up.
“I just forgot, I have to go do my laundry.” She blurted out.
‘Laundry?’ she thought, wincing inwardly. How lame could you get?
Ann and Jimmy were stumped. But Alec immediately stood up. “I’ll drive,”
he offered.
“No. Jimmy will.” Ann cut in. She had seen the look in Vicki’s eyes, and
realized Vicki needed to be alone, to sort out her feelings. Alec should not be
there, smothering her.
Three pairs of eyes turned on her; Vicki’s eyes were full of relief, Jimmy’s
full of puzzlement and Alec’s full of Venom.
“Ummm..it’s on his way?” she added weakly.
Jimmy looked more puzzled then ever. Ann then remembered that Jimmy and Alec
lived together.
Vicki and Jimmy started off to his cool VW Beetle.
“I’ll explain later.” She told Alec, when she was sure they were out of
earshot.
Really. Being with these people was emotionally draining.
After an hour-long pep talk with Ruby, in which she had poured out all that
she was feeling, all that she saw, Vicki was taking a shower. Feeling the
steaming hot water rush over her head, Vicki recalled what Ruby had said.
“You’re in love with him, Vicki, that’s as clear as day. And from what
you’ve said, it sounds like he’s inlove with you too. Give him a chance.
Give yourself a chance. Are you going to give this shot at true love up? Stars
are people too, you know. They fall in love too. Remember that Vicki. Be true to
your heart.”
“Maybe I will give him a chance.” She whispered.
Instant Messaging between Ann, Jimmy and Alec:
^a|Ec^: ANN! y didn’t u me drive vicki home? Don’t u know how much a moment in her presence means to me?
ModelAnn: listen…I was doing it 4 vicki,ok? U should be thanking me, buddy, not ragging me like this.
^a|Ec^: you mean that she doesn’t even like me?????
Jimbo: oh she does…..she was saying goodnight she said “uh bye alec……I mean jimmy! Jimmy. Sorry about that!”
^a|Ec^: really?
ModelAnn: look, alec. She is presently sorting out her feelings. She does not need to see you. In fact she shouldn’t see you. I suggest u call her up tomorrow. And ask her out, maybe for a casual lunch or something. Or even to the set….it is her father’s movie after all….
Jimbo: hey al….i’m turning in….switch off the kitchen light.
Jimbo has logged off
ModelAnn: Yeah it’s late…..expecting a phone call from philip….night/
ModelAnn has logged off.
^a|ec^: hello?
“Hello? Vicki? This is Alec…. sorry I missed you got your cell number from uh, Ann. I was, uh, wondering whether you’d like to come over to the set today. I, uh know that you don’t really enjoy being on the set much, but, uh, maybe we could grab a bite after I get off work? Umm….i have to go work now, but you can leave a message on my machine.”
Alec’s Answering Machine:
“Hey Alec? Yeah, this is Vicki. I just want to return the message you left earlier? I’d love to go out for a bite. I’ll head over to the set around 5, maybe earlier so I can watch you film? Then we can head over to Spagoe’s? Have you heard about it? It’s this really neat Italian restaurant near the studio. Well, see you. “
Ann’s Answering Machine:
“Ann, I owe you one, big time. Vicki said ok to dinner…how should I act? Should I ask her out for dinner tomorrow too? Leave a msg.”
Vicki’s cell phone answering Machine:
“Vicki? Ruby here…did you call Alec back? What’d you say? Are you two an official “thang” right now? Or at least semi-official? Are you going to the set? I’m going out for dinner tonight with Nairia, to Burger Planet, so you either eat with Alec or eat alone.”
Jimmy’s cell phone Answering system:
“Yo man….why’s your phone off? Oh yeah, you’re at the autograph signing
now, right? God knows why girls would line up just to get a sample of you icky
scrawls…. Anyway, VICKI AGREED! WHOPEE!!!!! Oops, I think Leila’s pounding
on my door.”
Alec’s answering machine:
“This is Ann…. Awesome… that means she likes you and is ready to begin a relationship with you. Just call me Dr. Love. Go with the flow and be yourself. As for the question on whether or not to ask her out again…. you ask yourself. Well, gotta go. Dr. Love over and out.”
Nairia’s answering machine:
“ Hey, Nair? Ruby here. Vicki said Burger planet’s great, so I’ll see you there tonight? Let’s meet there around eight ‘o’ clock.”
Ruby’s answering machine:
“Yep…thanks for the advice Ruby. Have fun tonight. Be home by 11 kay? I wanna tell you every detail of dinner”
Alec’s cell phone answering machine:
“ Haha. You enjoy yourself with the chick of your dreams…I’m going out with Nicky and Benny tonight. Why both of us hang out with those two morons is beyond me.”
Nicky’s answering machine:
“ Hey man? Benny here. Jimmy just called me. We’re at Burger Planet tonight Check in around eight…Oh, and don’t even think about mentioning Ann, heard from Alec dude that the poor guy’s still hung up over her. Make sure you point out the attributes of every cute chick at Burger Planet.”
Vicki paused at the door marked Studio 1. She self-consciencely checked
herself out in the reflective surface of the glass door and straightened the
blue knee length peasant dress that she was wearing. She then took a deep breath
and pushed open the heavy door. A blast of cool air hit her in the face.
‘Okay, Vicki,’ she told herself ‘Stay cool, calm and relaxed.
Too bad that she felt anything but cool, calm and relaxed.
As she made her way to the set where they were filming, she realised that she
hadn’t been on one of her father’s sets in years, since she was a sophomore
I high school and going on a movie set had been a novelty.
She also realised that people recognised her wherever she went and she was let
into the section where the actors’ trailers were (where they spent their time
when they weren’t filming) without any pass or questioning. There were perks
being William Zhao’s older daughter after all.
That is, until she reached Alec’s trailer.
A big burly man was coming out of the trailer just as she was going in.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “No autographs. How the hell did you get in
here?”
Vicki became rather hot and angry.
Did this guy, whoever he was, think that she was one of Alec’s “groupies”?
Fat chance, buddy.
Without so much as raising her voice a notch, she said in her sweetest voice,
“Oh! Well, Alec himself called and personally invited me here. And I got into
the studio because it belongs to my father.”
The man turned the brightest shade of red.
“Uh, sorry, Miss Zhao, I didn’t uh, realize it was you. My sincerest
apologises. “
“No problem.” Vicki replied, waving her hand. She tried to stifle a giggle.
It was amazing how far a name could get you.
She stepped into the trailer. Alec was sitting on an overstuffed chair inside
with earphones on. When he realized that Vicki had come, he sat up.
His eyes lit up.
Vicki could feel herself blushing. Alec could make her feel like she was the
most beautiful, talented woman in the world, just by looking at her.
She cleared her throat lightly and sat down on the chair opposite him.
“Sorry I’m early.” She was surprised at how shy her voice sounded. “My
class at the University ended early.”
“Don’t be.” Alec murmured softly.
She giggled nervously.
What was it about this man that had made her into a giggling idiot?
They sat and chatted for awhile before Alec had to go back on the set.
She told him about the man who’d stopped her before coming in to the trailer.
He laughed and said, “Oh, that’s my Uncle Fred. He loves being a big deal.
He’s sort of my guardian because he lives here in Taiwan. My parents live in
Canada.”
He told her how much he missed his parents and how he’d wished they could be
here. She sensed how sad he was and without thinking, she placed her hand over
his comfortingly.
He looked down at her hand over his and she hastily withdrew it.
Instead he grabbed it and held it tightly, looking into her eyes.
Just then, Leila Khoo burst in and saw them together. Her eyes narrowed with
hatred.
‘How dare this woman come between me and Alec,’ she thought, completely
forgetting how Alec had spurned all her advances.
She didn’t, of course, know that this was Vicki Zhao, but she could clearly
see how madly in love Alec was with her. She automatically deduced that this was
Alec’s new girlfriend.
She cleared her throat loudly.
Alec and Vicki looked up startled. Leila was irritated to know that they were so
involved in each other that they did not even realize that she was there.
“Alec, hon,” she started in a sickeningly sweet voice. “You’re wanted on
the set.”
She noticed Alec wincing, and felt like shouting “What is your problem? Are
you blind? What the hell does this woman got that I don’t?”
But of course she acted liked the perfect co-star, sweet and caring. Alec was a
bit too honest for her liking and she didn’t want any negative remarks about
herself in magazine articles.
Alec stood up, obviously disappointed that he had to leave Vicki.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’ll come back soon.”
Vicki smiled shyly and glanced over in Leila’s direction, embarrassed.
Leila caught the look and felt rather smug.
Alec smiled half heartedly at Leila and Leila returned it with a full beaming
smile.
He started to walk towards the door but Leila stopped him.
“Why, Alec. Aren’t you going to introduce us?” she purred like the
she-witch she was.
Alec seemed flustered for a moment but quickly regained his composure.
“Vicki, this is Leila Khoo. Leila. This is Vicki Zhao.”
‘Zhao?’thought Leila frantically. Wasn’t that the name of the producer??
Alec caught the look and smirked.
The trio quickly made their way to where the scene was set up.
(Alec had insisted that Vicki come along.)
It was a scene which Alec and Leila first realized that they were from the same
school when they spotted each other from across the hall. There were a lot of
extras in the scene and they were all ready to start filming.
But before Alec started, he insisted that Vicki was seated in his own special
director-esque chair with his name printed on the back and that she had a drink
and a sweatshirt in case she got cold.
After Vicki insisted that she was fine, then he reluctantly stepped on the set.
As he acted, Vicki saw a side of him that she didn’t even know existed. She
always thought that all movie stars like them just stood around and looked
pretty (like what Leila was doing) But Alec threw his whole heart and soul into
his acting and was flawless.
Vicki settled back into the chair and began to lose herself in the story of
Jason and Vivian. A story that, a few months ago, she wouldn’t have even
bothered watching.
It was 8:15 and Ruby and Nairia had just placed their orders with the waiter
at Burger Planet. She looked around. Burger Planet was really cool. When Vicki
told her about it, she expected it to be another fast food outlet McDonald’s
wannabe. Instead, it was a really cool place with little miniature planets
hanging from the ceilings. She and Nairia had decided to check out the place,
and they decided to let themselves go for once, and instead of ordering the
house salad, they ordered the Burger special.
A group of boys walked past the table. One of them, the one who was wearing
sunglasses and a baseball cap, was gorgeous. There was something vaguely
familiar about him. He flashed her a smile, looking her over. Then his gaze
shifted over to Nairia.
“Hey, Nair!” he said, taking off his dark sunglasses.
Suddenly Ruby recognised him. He was none other then Jimmy Lin!
Nair smiled at him. “Hey Jimbo…pull up a chair!”
Jimmy and his two friends seated themselves at the table. Jimmy apologised for
butting on their dinner.
Nairia introduced everyone. “Ruby. This is Jimmy, Benny and Nicky. Guys, this
gorgeous chick is one of my modelling partners, Ruby.”
Jimmy spoke up. “I thought that your partner was Ann.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Ruby thought she saw Nairia,
Benny and Nicky exchange this sort of look.
Nairia smiled her megawatt smile, but it looked really forced.
“Hey, Rubs. I have to go the girlie’s room. Come with me.”
Ruby went on alert mode. Nairia obviously had something important to tell her.
She wasn’t the kind of girl who brought her whole entourage of friends to use
the toilet.
In the bathroom, Nairia leaned against a sink.
“Ruby. Please don’t mention Ann tonight. Jimmy just made a casual comment
and look what happened.”
“Sure, Nair. But why?”
Nairia took a deep breath and said, “Well, Jimmy and Ann just broke up, and
apparently he’s not over her yet.”
“Poor guy.” Ruby meant it.
Meanwhile, at the table the boys were siting in an uncomfortable silence.
Why did Jimmy have to bring Ann up?
However, unbeknownst to Nairia, Ruby, Nicky and Benny, Ann was the furthest
thing from Jimmy’s mind. He was thinking about Ruby. The beautiful Ruby, with
the shy smile and amazing eyes.
He knew that Nairia was probably filling Ruby in on the details of their
breakup. That was okay with Jimmy. At least she’d know that he was available.
Available and very attracted…
At the same time, across town at Spagoe’s, Vicki and Alec were having a
really good time. The restaurant was romantic, but it didn’t overdo it with
candles, roses, violins and all that jazz. Instead, it was a classy setting, fun
but not rowdy. Most of the restaurant patrons were also couples, and because the
restaurant was in the movie district, most of the diners were celebrities, so
they didn’t have to deal with screaming fans and that kind of crap.
They talked about everything under the sun. Alec talked about his childhood in
Taiwan, how he lived with his maternal grandmother because both of his parents
were representatives of the Taiwan government and moved around a lot. So is
parents decided that a stable education was best for him, so they sent him to
Taiwan to live with his grandmother. At 16, he joined the School of Performing
arts and had been getting excellent roles in films since then.
“You know, sometimes I wonder how come I star in so many films. Yeah, I can
act, but there are plenty of other people in my class who can act so much
better. Sometimes I believe that it’s just luck.”
Vicki told him what it was like being the daughter of a famous producer. She
even confined in him and told him that she sometimes wished that she’d been
born someone else. To which Alec had replied, “How can you ever wish you were
someone else? I’m so glad you are, well, you. And I’m even happier that I
met you.”
Then both of them just stared at each other, two people who understood each
other more then anyone else in the world.
Nicky Wu- A close friend of Alec, Jimmy and Benny. He and Benny move in with Alec and Jimmy in this chapter because their landlady kicked them out for making too much noise. He is an actor like Alec, but has already graduated from the School of Performing Arts. He works full time, and is currently single. (but not for long)
*I actually decided to add Nicky because I’ve been watching ‘Swordsgirl’ this few days…that’s why I haven’t been updating. I’m on the fifteenth disc, and there are about twenty, but Vicki and Nicky haven’t even made a development on their relationship other then that he’d rather die then live happily ever after with her…sadistic. Is it just me, or is Nicky’s nose a wee bit too big? Whatever. Alec and Vicki still make a cuter couple. No offence to Nicky’s die-hard fans! Ugh. I’m babbling. Back to the story.*
Benny Chan- He is Nicky’s distant cousin. Moved to Taipei after his parents
died in a car crash. Is secretly very rich because of the huge inheritance that
his father left behind. Is working as a assistant photographer to Kenneth Yang.
Is single.
Nairia Ashley- Is a half-Chinese, half-Indian model with stunning features. [Sorta
like Michelle Saram, did I spell that right?] She used to live with Ann until
Ann moved in with Philip Li, her pilot boyfriend. Nobody besides her, Philip,
and Ann knows that Philip is her ex-boyfriend, and that Ann is the cause of
their break-up. Nairia has never forgiven Ann for breaking her heart as well as
Jimmy’s. When they brokeup about a month ago, she and Jimmy became good
friends, and she thought that she had a crush on him, but now they are just
buddies.
Vicki and Alec were on their way out of the restaurant, but just before they
left, they ran into a couple. Vicki was very familiar with the male. More
familiar then she would have liked. It was Vincent, her ex-boyfriend.
Vincent Ye was the world’s biggest jerk. When they’d been dating, he’d two
timed her. And when she’d tried to break up, he’d told her first that he
wanted to dump her.
Now as she looked into his smirking face, she wondered what had ever possessed
her to start dating him. He wasn’t bad looking, but he was miles away from
Alec’s natural gorgeousness.
He was charming, that was for sure, in a rather sleazy sort of way, but he was a
playboy, and Vicki heard that he was dating Alyssa Cheong, a famous category III
actress. Now that was confirmed. He and Alyssa were hand in hand. Alyssa was
pretty in a sluty sort of way. She wore a low cut dress that she her breasts
practically spilled out from.
Vicki didn’t acknowledge that she knew him, and neither did Vincent. They
passed each other without a word. But Vicki felt a chill go down her spine and
clutched Alec’s hand tighter. She’d told Alec about Vincent, but Alec
probably didn’t recognize him…..
Jimmy’s Laptop Journal:
Met the most beautiful girl today. Also realised that she is not only pretty, she’s smart, pretty, charming, sweet, kind….Well, I don’t have all day to list out all her good points. Her name is Ruby Lin Xin Ru, she’s 19, a model and in premed…I’m so impressed. She and I talked about practically everything. I’ve never felt anything like it…Could it be love? Have to admit that I suspect it is. Felt the “connection” Alec was ranting about when he met Vicki. (Speaking of which, he’s on a date with his dream babe. Lucky dude.) Never even felt this way about Ann. Didn’t even think about Ann through dinner. Surprise! I think I’m getting over her. Ruby Lin is definitely my dream babe…and I think the attraction’s mutual…Yippee! At least I’m not a complete turn off….aww, who am I kidding? I’m a hunk, if I do say so myself…Whoops. Alec’s back.
Alec’s Palm Pilot Journal:
Date was a major major success…I am officially infatuated with Vicki Zhao. I think she’s gonna accept me as her boyfriend soon….My girlfriend, Vicki….doesn’t that sound absolutely fabulous? Jimmy’s cheered up too, and I’ve realized that the only thing that can mend a broken heart is another girl. That must be it. He must have met someone at Burger Planet. Everything turned for the better since I met Vicki, you know? She’s my lucky charm. And I hope she will always be. Oh I’d better go, Nicky and Benny are staying with us temporally. They got kicked out of their apartment again. Surprise, surprise. This is the what? Fifteenth time this year? And it’s only February, for goodness sake. Feb 2. Better take note of the date for future reference. Girls are always going on and on about how we guys don’t remember their birthdays, first date, first kiss, blah blah . But, face it man, I definitely wanna be with Vicki till the end of time.
Ruby’s secret diary:
Dear Diary,
Today I met Jimmy Lin. You know, the singer? He is more gorgeous in real life,
if that’s even possible…he and I chatted, and it was as if we were the only
two people in the world, even though Nairia was there and his two friends, Nick
and Benny, I think. I feel kinda bad for leaving Nairia out, but she seemed
comfortable enough talking to them. Oh, Diary, I fell for a ton of bricks for
him. There is a problem though. He’s Ann’s ex, and even though he didn’t
show any signs of being hung up over her, he could still be feeling the raw pain
deep down inside. And I like him so much that I don’t want to be the rebound
girl. So maybe I’ll give him some space to settle down. But, Diary, every part
of me longs to be with him right now. Only you know about my true feelings, and
I know you’ll keep it safe. (besides, I have the key.) Not even Vicki can
know. I think I hear the keys. She must be back from the dream date.
Vicki’s Journal:
Tonight was dreamy. I just had the best time ever. Alec was so…….amazingly wonderful, incredibly romantic, totally understanding. Not to mention a major hunk. We were at Spagoe’s. I just had a heart to heart with Ruby about it. She was really supportive, but I sense that there I something else besides my romantic encounter with Alec on her mind. I wonder what.
Alec lay back on his bed, exhausted. After his date with Vicki, he had come
home to find his house in a state of chaos, with Benny and Nicky moving in and
Jimmy in a state of dreaminess. He had just finished helping Nicky unpack, which
wasn’t easy. The guy had a few cartons of clothes, so many books and an
extremely heavy state of the art stereo set that seemed to take forever to get
the wires untangled.
‘Good thing the spare room has two beds. But now the house is so cramped up
and nobody else can stay over.’ He thought
Suddenly, the sound of music, which sounded more like a cat being strangled,
came blasting, no doubt from the state of the art stereo system.
Alec groaned. He just hoped that this arrangement wasn’t permanent.
Vincent paced around the living room of his parents’ mansion. What should he do now? He had just made a quick phone call to Jill, pretending to be Mr. Zhao. Jill had told him that Vicki wasn’t scheduled for any modelling shoots, and neither did she have any class over at the University. Jill told “Mr. Zhao” that Vicki was either at the mall, at home, or out with friends. He had called Minah Sao, the wardrobe assistant of ‘Major Meltdown, and one of his “victims”. Minah had confirmed that Alec Su, the guy he had seen Vicki with yesterday, was at the set. So she was probably at the mall. He quickly grabbed his black leather jacket and left the house. He had to find her. Seeing her yesterday had made him feel attracted to her all over again. She was becoming more and more gorgeous. He lusted for her [I know, ewwww right?]. And if he could steal her away from Alec Su, a major actor and heart-rob, it would be a major victory……
Vicki was only about a block away from the mall, walking back to the
apartment. She was enjoying the fresh winter air, when someone clamped his hand
over her mouth and started to drag her into the shadows. She kicked and screamed
and tried to break free but to no avail. The man let go of her and Vicki
realized he had dragged her to a dead end. She struggled to run away, but the
man’s huge frame blocked her. Suddenly the smell of his cologne filled
Vicki’s nose and filled Vicki’s heart with dread. It was Vincent! He grabbed
her again, and his touch repulsed her. He tried to kiss her neck.
Suddenly, Vicki went limp and Vincent nearly dropped her in surprise.
She grabbed hold of this opportunity and shoved her fist at his nose and kicked
him in the shin. Although those blows usually would have no effect on Vincent,
she had the element of surprise and Vincent used one hand to grab his nose and
another to grab his ankle.
“OWWWWWWWW!,” he howled.
Vicki dodged him and ran towards the sidewalk and grabbed her shopping bags and
her purse (no matter what, she wasn’t about to let all her great shopping go
to waste). Then, instead of running towards the house, she ran back towards the
mall. Vicki figured that he wouldn’t attack in such a crowded place.
Once there, she went into McDonald’s and into the ladies room. She leaned
against the wall for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath and willing
herself to calm down.
Trying not to gasp, she reached into her purse for her itty bitty Nokia 8860
handphone * my ultimate dream cell phone *
She shakily dialled Alec’s number.
“Sorry. I’m not available to take your call right now…” came the
recorded voice.
“Damn it.” muttered Vicki under her breath.
Who to call? She paced around the toilet, ignoring the people who were staring
at her like she had inflicted the mad cow disease.
She mentally checked off all the people she couldn’t call.
Ruby was out. She always switched off her cell whenever she went back home
because ringing gave Mrs. Lin a headache. The only means of contacting anyone in
the house was by calling Mr. Lin’s phone, which was on silent mode. But Vicki
had absolutely no idea what his number was.
Her dad? He’d probably think she was making this up. He loved Vincent, and was
heartbroken when they broke up. No use.
Nairia? She forgot her mobile phone number. She and Ann used to live together…
She suddenly hit upon something.
“Hello?” Vicki said after dialling a number,”Ann?”
Alec was trying to get his lines down. It wasn’t easy. Nicky, Benny and
Jimmy were watching a football match outside in the living room, and it looked
like the team they were supporting was winning, judging from the amount of roars
and cheers the three men were letting out. Or maybe it was just the beer that
Nicky had brought from the supermarket. Whatever.
Suddenly, the three boys burst into Alec’s room. Apparently they all weren’t
drunk, so it meant the team, whichever it was, had scored.
“Man U rocks,” shouted Benny, raising his arms over his head in a pathetic
one-man wave.
“Oh yeah baby,” Nicky did a little victory dance.
Alec fought the impulse to throw those two out of the house right now.
The doorbell rang.
“Oh crap,” Alec muttered under his breath.
It was probably Old Mrs. Shaw from upstairs. Maybe she had finally got a hearing
aid.
Instead, when he flung open the door, expecting a grumpy old lady in a
night-gown and slippers, he saw Vicki, aka his vision of loveliness. Then he saw
Vicki shivering.
Vicki glanced up. When she saw that it was Alec, she practically hurled herself
at him.
She buried her face in his neck and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jimmy came
out to take a look at who was the unexpected visitor, he saw Alec and Vicki
together and Vicki crying, he immediately knew that something was amiss. He
quickly ushered Nicky and Benny back to their room. And closed the door silently
behind.
Alec’s first concern was getting Vicki dry and warm. He brought her to the
bathroom while she took a hot shower and stood guard outside in case Nicky or
Benny or Jimmy burst in. Actually, there was no need for that. Benny was surfing
the net in the room and Nicky was teaching Jimmy how to use his new
state-of-the-art Mp3 player. He passed her a pair of his boxer shorts and a
white cotton T-shirt under the door.
Then the two of them silently settled down in Alec’s room. Vicki sat on the
bed and Alec sat down on his desk chair facing her. He placed one hand on her
knee and she reached out and pulled him onto the bed next to her.
She rested her head on his chest. Alec started to stoke her hair gently, not
pressing her to speak.
Finally, Vicki opened her mouth.
“Vincent…he, he tried to…I don’t know what he meant to do…,” she
took a deep breath and Alec nearly spontaneously combusted when he thought of
all the horrible possibilities. “He grabbed me and tried to kiss my neck,”
Vicki continued in a shaky voice, “But I escaped before he…did anything. I
ran back to the mall and tried calling your cell first but I only got the
answering machine. Ruby was at her mom’s place and that means she turned off
her handphone, so I called Ann. She gave me your address, so here I am.”
Vicki started crying again when she thought of all the horrible things that had
happened to her in the past two hours. Alec felt his heart ache when he saw the
tears streaming down her face. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe them
away. Who was this Vincent guy anyway? Trying to rape his girlfriend. Alec would
make him pay…
Suddenly, the ringing of a phone startled the both of them. Vicki realized that
it was coming from her hand phone. She moved towards her purse, crawling on
Alec’s comfy down navy blue comforter. She drew the Nokia out of her bag and
answered the phone. Alec looked over with mild interest.
She was silent after the initial “Hello”.
He could see her face turn ashen white.
She closed the phone and just stared at it, and she whispered, “Oh my god.”
She looked up at Alec at whispered, so softly that Alec wasn’t even sure
he’d heard her right, “Ruby just called. She can’t go in to the house
because Vincent is waiting outside.”
Awhile later, Alec was out in the living room explaining to the rest of the
guys what had happened. Vicki was in the room. In the simplest terms possible,
he told them how Vincent had tried to attack Vicki and that Ruby had nowhere to
go because Vincent was waiting outside the house. Jimmy, Benny and Nicky thought
it out rationally. They could be really understanding when they weren’t acting
silly. Jimmy was acting really panicky. Alec remembered him mentioning that he
had met Ruby before. ‘Maybe he likes her?’ thought Alec absentmindedly.
They decided that Jimmy and Benny would go pick her up tonight. Then tomorrow,
Nicky and Jimmy, who were both off, would bring Vicki and Ruby back to the house
to pick up some clothes and necessities to tide them over for about a month. The
boys were taking no chances. Vincent could strike anytime. So Vicki and Ruby
would just have to stay there for that month. Besides, even if Vincent tracked
them down there, he couldn’t do anything. Nicky’s show was on a hiatus for
two months, so he could stay at home with them and bring them out. Not so muck
as Ruby, but more Vicki as she was the one that he wanted.
After Jimmy and Benny had left, Alec and Nicky concentrated on the sleeping
arrangements. Vicki would sleep in Alec’s room, with Alec on the floor,(Even
though Alec has a double bed) and Jimmy would move to the spare room with Nicky
and Benny as one of the single beds had a pull out. Thus leaving Ruby Jimmy’s
room.
Meanwhile, Ruby couldn’t believe what was happening. Jimmy Lin, the guy
that she had been fantasising about for the past day, was here in flesh, to pick
her up, rescue her from a fate worse then death, otherwise known as Vincent Ye.
She got into his cool little Beetle. He glanced at her worriedly. Her heart
thumped loudly in her chest. Wait. Could it be that he was really that concerned
about her??? She tried to turn her attention back to the other guy, Benny, to
try and concentrate on whatever he was trying to say.
“So,” Benny continued, completely unaware of the conflicting emotions that
both Ruby and Jimmy faced, “You’re like, going to sleep in Jimmy’s room
this month.”
Wait a minute. What did he just say? She was going to, like, sleep in Jimmy’s
room? For a month. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
But she wasn’t.
It was a dream come true.
Vicki leaned her head against the headboard of the bed. After their initial
kiss, Nicky had interrupted by bursting into the room and yelling for Alec.
Vicki thanked the god of good timing. If he had come in just a minute before and
caught the two of them locked in that passionate kiss…! Instant mortification.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Vicki leapt off the bed.
‘Ruby!’ she thought happily.
Sure enough, when Nicky flung open the door, Ruby, Jimmy and Benny stood on the
other side.
“Rubs!” Vicki squealed.
“Vicks!” replied Ruby. The two girls hugged as if they had not seen each
other for years, when in actual fact, they were together just a few hours
before.
The four watching boys exchanged a look, as if to say, “Girls!”
Ruby placed her bags on the parquet floor of Jimmy’s room. She glanced
around fugitively outside before closing the door behind her. She then sat down
in the forest green bedspread next to Vicki.
“He volunteered,” offered Vicki before Ruby could say anything.
Ruby was so excited that she squealed. But then she pushed the thoughts of her
own blossoming romance aside and concentrated on her poor, poor friend.
“I so mad, I’d kill him with my own bare hands.” She told Vicki.
“Who,” Vicki teased. “Jimmy?”
Ruby frowned. Vicki was hiding the pain and anguish that the evil man had put
her through. She could sense, could feel the pain of her innocent best friend,
almost as if it were coming out of her in waves.
“Vincent, I mean.”
“Oh. You wouldn’t be able to.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’d be dead already because Alec would’ve slaughtered him.”
Ruby sort of understood what Alec was going through. In a way it was just as bad
as what was happening to Vicki. Because he loved her, he probably felt so
helpless that he could only do that much to protect her. He was probably feeling
a searing hate now, directed at himself. Yes. Ruby understood. She had gone
through this before, when her mother had a stroke.
Vicki sighed and fingered the green blanket.
“Well, I’ll leave you to unpack now. I was going to tell you about the
amazing kiss that Alec and I had just shared, but I’m feeling really drained
now, and I need to crash.”
She walked out of the room slowly. Ruby could see the physical scars of the
recent attack had not yet faded. But the emotional scars, the deepest scars ever
fade?
Ruby really couldn’t tell
Alec was lying on the bed, wearing his reading glasses and sipping a mug of
hot chocolate when Vicki entered the room. He quickly placed the mug and the
script he was flipping through. He had desperately wanted to check in with her,
but she was with Ruby and he sensed that the girls needed some time to talk. It
was apparent that they hadn’t spoken much, as Vicki was back so soon.
He bit his lip as he glanced at her slowly making her way to the bed. Was she
really the girl that, a day ago, talked to him, smiled at him, made him love her
more?
Yes, she was that girl. She would never change, just as Alec’s love for her
would never change.
But now her heart, once so carefree and pure, was weighed down by this incident.
Alec’s heart contracted when he saw Vicki.
Vincent had done this to her.
And he was going to so pay.
He quickly got up from the bed and scratched the back of his head. He had never
in his life felt so useless, so helplessly unsure of what to do.
“Umm, you probably want to go to bed now. I mean, uh, go to sleep. I’ll go
get my pillows and stuff from the other room.”
He was already half way out the door when Vicki laid a gentle hand on his
forearm.
She smiled a puzzled smile.
“Why would you need to? Four pillows are enough for the both of us. In fact,
it’s more then enough.”
Alec frowned. “But I’m sleeping on the floor. I should probably get a
sleeping bag.”
Vicki cocked her head to the side. “Aren’t you sleeping with me?”
Alec drew back, rather shocked at this revelation. She thought that he was going
to sleep with her? But as he looked into her eyes, he saw none of the coyness
and the flirtation he expected.
‘Of course.’ He thought.
Oh Vicki Vicki Vicki.
What a pure and innocent sweet thing she was. How trusting she was, even after
the terrible ordeal that could’ve tainted her entire life. She thought that
all he would do was sleep with her-literally, that is-providing her with nothing
else besides a sense of protection and a whisper of comfort.
“Umm,” Alec murmured as Vicki slowly wrapped her arms around his neck,”
are you sure that you will fell comfortable with me sleeping with you? Safe? I
mean, not that I would try anything but, you know, after the whole Vincent
thing…”
Vicki laid her head on his chest.
“Oh, Alec,” her voice muffled. ”The safest times I feel are the times that
I’m in your arms. I know that you will never ever hurt me. Because I trust
you, I love you.”
Hours later, Vicki finally fell asleep in Alec’s arms. He silently withdrew his arm and pulled the navy sheet over her. The oversized shirt and boxers made her look small and vulnerable.
Script of what happened between Leila Khoo and Alec Su on the set of Major Meltdown:
Leila: Oh my darlin’ hunnie bunnie
Director: Cut! Leila. Drop the cute southern belle act. Vivian is supposed to
sweet, not sickening.
Alec: Viv, maybe you wanna get a chocolate mocha at the cafeteria?
Director: Cut. Alec, you are in love with Vivian. Don’t give that expression.
It looks like you’re going to puke.
Leila: (shrieking) I saw you with her! I saw you with Vicki! Why? WHY? What
does she have that I don’t?
Director: Cut! Leila? Where is that line may I ask? And just who the hell is
Vicki?
Prompter: Miss Khoo, the line is, “I think that Andrea’s better for you then
I am”
Leila: Oops, sorry. But I think that Vicki’s a better name for that bitch.
Scriptwriter: I wrote the play, you bitch. And if I were someone with sense,
I’d throw you out of the damn show in a second.
Leila: Why, you little…
Producer: Now Leila, now Ralph, don’t mind each other. Besides, my
daughter’s name is Vicki.
Leila: Whatever.
Alec: Maybe we shouldn’t kiss, it’s not right.
Director: Cut (rubs temples) Maura? Pass me an aspirin.
Prompter: the line is “I really want to kiss you. Is that okay with you,
Vivian?”
Alec: Oh right.
Leila: Cut! I think we have to retake that kiss.
Director: I call the shots here, lady, and that kiss was perfect, not too
passionate.
Leila: That’s the problem, it should be passionate.
Director: I’m the director. Not you.
Leila: Well maybe I should be.
Director: That’s it! I quit!
Alec went to his room the minute he got home. Strange. There were no signs of
Vicki.
But the room had definitely changed big time.
On his bed, there was a huge amount of pillows and cushions, all purple and
white and folded at the end was a fluffy purple comforter.
On one of the nightstands, there was one of those harlequin romance novels. His
closet was full of dresses, pants, shirts, shorts, etc, etc, etc. Next to the
entertainment unit on the chest was a stack of law books.
It felt strange, yet thrilling, yet awfully comforting to have all these things.
It was a real life metaphor of Vicki coming into his life.
Just then, as if she’d just stepped out from his thoughts, Vicki came into the
room. When she spotted her boyfriend in the middle of the room, their room, she
quickly ran up to him from behind and covered his eyes from behind.
“Guess who!” she said, trying to deepen her voice.
Alec grabbed her wrists and replied, “Umm? Nicky? Benny? Jimmy?” he teased.
Vicki giggled. He spun her around. When she faced him, he still held her wrists.
She smiled. “You knew it was me all along.” She tried to disentangle her
wrists.
He grinned, not letting her free her wrists. “Yeah, I did.” He agreed.
He then dropped his hands from her arms and let them rest on the small of her
back.
She smiled shyly and played with the buttons on his shirt without looking up.
He closed his eyes and let his forehead rest on hers.
“How was your day?” Vicki whispered, also closing her eyes.
“Getting better,” he murmured, more to himself then to her
She slid her hands up his chest and around to the back of his neck. She pulled
his face down for a kiss. Their lips met softly at first, then grew deeper and
deeper. Alec actually trembled.
When they parted, Alec gave Vicki a lazy smile. “I think you just liquefied
every bone in my body, Vick. I’m gonna call in sick tomorrow. How ‘bout
that? Can you play hooky too? Then we can get the guys to come tomorrow.
Benny’s off too. Nick is always free, but I have no idea about Jimmy. Maybe
Ruby and Nairia too? We could go for a picnic.”
Vicki sighed softly and leaned her head against Alec’s chest.
Ruby’s secret Diary:
Dear Diary,
Today I went to get some things from the apartment. I’m so excited that I’m
actually staying in the same house as Jimmy for a month! I know I’m not the
only one. Vicki and Alec have been practically joined at the hip since we moved
in (or should I say joined at the lip. Haha.) The rest of the people who live
here are really nice too. Especially Nicky. He’s just soo funny. Actually, He
and Nairia would make a good pair. Both have that out of this world sense of
humor, you know? Get the impression that I’m sooo happy today? Love just does
that to you I guess.
Nicky’s Journal:
Okay. I’m no too good with all this diary writing crap, but there is no way I’m ever going to tell Benny or Alec or anyone about my ummm, feelings for Ruby. Oh shit. I’d never thought I’d actually write those words down one day. See! That’s what love does to you.
(Continuation from above article)
JEALOUS CO-STAR KHOO
An anonymous caller had been calling this newspaper to tip off the press about
LEILA KHOO’S and Alec Su’s “relationship”. In actual fact, this person
was the jealous Khoo, who wanted Su for herself. But when Zhao stepped in, it
seemed like Khoo was out of the picture for good. However, out reporter ANG SIEW
LEE spoke to several members of the cast and crew of ‘Major Meltdown’ and
all of them say that she “never even in the picture”. Says supporting actor
Edison Chan, “Leila has made many advances on Alec but he has spurned all of
them.” Supporting actress Maggie Q also says that Leila is stupid to try that
with Alec. She says that her co-star is “totally smitten with Vicki. He has
made it no secret either when he chats with us [Chan and Q]”
Ruby paced outside Alec’s room. Where was Vicki? She didn’t turn up at
any classes at the University, though half the students didn’t either, it was
a couple of days away from their spring break. But Ruby was Vicki’s best
friend, and if she knew Vicki, a mugger like her would still be attending her
lectures. Ruby called Jill, only to find that Vicki had gone on a hiatus for two
weeks. She’d also called most of their friends. She mentally checked them off.
Nina, Jeanette, Bridget, June, Ann, Nairia, Rebecca…
Suddenly she heard laughter from the other end of the corridor and spotted Alec
and Vicki, holding hands, loaded down with bags and looking so in love. She
watched them enviously. Neither Vicki nor Alec actually noticed her until Alec
had dropped the bags and leaned them against the wall and wrapped his arms
around Vicki. Ruby had the feeling that they were going to kiss and didn’t
want to interrupt the couples’ smooch-a-thon…So she tried to tiptoe away,
but crashed into a door. Stupid thing.
Both Alec and Vicki turned their heads away from each other to see what
happened. Ruby grinned up at them sheepishly and rubbed her shin. Darn that
thing anyway. Next time she should just clear her throat or something. She
peeked at their faces to see their reactions. Vicki looked concerned. Alec just
looked bemused and, well, tickled. It was then that Ruby realized what a sight
she must’ve been, sprawled out on the floor like that. She straightened
herself as gracefully as she could, which wasn’t very graceful at all.
“Um,” she squeaked, “Whoops?”
Vicki went to help her up and Alec’s face relaxed into a smile. Whoa. This guy
was different from other guys. Most people would have been pissed at the person
who so clumsily wreaked their magic moment.
She was ushered into their room by Vicki. Alec went out to retrieve more bags
from his car.
Vicki gave Ruby such a huge grin that she was afraid that Vicki’s face might
split.
“I had such a blast today. Alec treated. I found some really nice stuff,
mostly for Alec. Really cool looking stuff. Know what? A/X is on sale! At Jigsaw
I found this gorgeous skirt that matches the new cream platforms I just bought.
You should’ve seen Alec, the way his eyes lit up when I stepped out of the
dressing room…” Vicki stopped when she saw the expression on her friend’s
face. “What’s wrong?”
Ruby flopped down on Alec’s cushy blanket.
“Jimmy… “
Alec hesitated in front of the door to his bedroom. He could
hear the strains of conversation from inside.
“Jimmy…why…maybe…I’m just soo-…Ann?…ohmigosh!…WHAT?…”
Obviously they were talking about Jimmy Lin.
Sigh. Alec dumped the bags right outside the door and made his way to Jimmy’s
room. Oh well, this “post-ann-cheer-up-gimme-a-break” talk was long overdue
anyway.
He rapped smartly on the door twice before lugging at the handle and letting
himself in.
Jimmy was lying flat on his back on the sage green comforter with his eyes
closed. Some totally depressing music was playing on his state of the art
stereo. The first thing he did was to march over to that player and switched off
the music. He tuned over the empty CD case resting on top of one of the
speakers. Blah. Deep within the soul, it’s cover proclaimed, by the Taiwanese
Taipei Symphonic Orchestra
“Jimbo. I need to talk to you,” Alec took a deep breath before continueing,
“About Ruby and Ann. First of all, Ruby is really hung up on you, and, geez,
man, not to offend, but she’s getting tired of your little cat-and mouse game
with her. One minute you are so into her, the next, you act like you can’t
even be bothered to say hello.”
Jimmy sat in front of Alec, staring at his face blankly. Damn. The expression on
that guy’s face was really putting him off. However, Alec pressed on.
“Second, Ann is gone. You admitted it yourself that you guys didn’t really
have that connection anyway. So?”
Alec glanced at Jimmy’s face, somrthing he had been restraining from doing as
he was sure that he would be put off by the man’s lamer-then-thou expression.
Jimmy, however had not moved from his alien type expression.
Alec stood up, feeling like there was nothing left for him to do about him.
However, he wanted to make a point. He crossed the spacious room, and paused
with his hand on the doorknob.
“If I were you, I’d definitely take action. Or you may just let the best
thing that’s ever happened to you walk right out that door.”
“Come in,” came a sweet voice from inside.
Jimmy turned the doorknob as silently as he could and entered his bedroom, now being occupied by Ruby. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw her. He had avoided her like the plague for the last few days, and had almost forgotten how gorgeous she looked. Well, now it all came flooding back at him. Her big, luminous yet seemingly haunting eyes…her straight, perfect nose…her flawless, cream-and-peaches complexion…her pouting lips…
Ruby looked up and he could see that her eyes instantly filled with joy when she saw him. His heart gave an unexpected jolt. He had not felt like this for a long time, to be looked at like that…
“Umm,” he cleared his throat in an effort to hide his nervousness. What was wrong with him? This wasn’t the first time he’d been around girls. Even Ann, who he was so sure was the “one”, didn’t turn him into a blathering idiot around her.
“ Hey, Ruby, I was wondering whether you are free tonight.”
Ruby beamed at him. Her megawatt smile was blinding and Jimmy could feel himself
being sucked in.
“Sure!” came her sweet, melodious voice.
“Okay, be ready by seven, kay?”
“Kay…. Where are we going?”
“Not telling you.”
Okay. He could tell by the expression on Ruby’s face that she was
definitely intrigued.
Now all he had to do was live up to his hype.
Vicki was toweling her hair off when the phone rang.
“Hello? Vicki? This is dad.”
“Oh.”
Vicki was puzzled. Why was her father calling her now? Was he going to rag
about her dating Alec Su?
“I just received a call from…”
As Mr. Zhao carried on, a strange expression overtook Vicki’s features. It
looked almost as if she were in pain…
A few minutes later, she hung up, still hearing Mr. Zhao’s voice in her
head.
“Vicki, Cambridge is offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity! Imagine
that, being invited to go there to study on scholarship!”
A scholarship to a prestigious law faculty was what she had always wanted,
her ultimate goal in life. But that was before she met Alec. Before she feel
truly, madly deeply in love with him.
And now, here she was, caught in this tangled web of confusion.
And she knew that either path she took, she would always end up as the loser.
Alec hummed to himself as she emerged from the steaming shower. Oh yeah, life was really going great for Alec right now. He had a great job, cool friends, but most importantly, he had Vicki, the single most important person in his life. Because of her, Alec really felt like a winner in the game of life.
He pushed the door of his room open and saw Vicki sitting on the bed staring blankly at the wall. She was dressed in her usual sleepwear- a pair of plaid orange and hot pink boxers and a pocket baby-tee.
He flopped down on the bed next to her and traced little circles on her back.
“Hey, Vick…” Vicki glanced at him as if she had just realized that he was
in the room.
Alec frowned. Something was definitely up with Vicki. Well, Alec intended to
make all of Vicki’s troubles go away.
He took her in his arms and gave her a warm hug. When he wanted to pull away, Vicki grabbed him again and nestled her head into his shoulder. He felt her need for him to just be there, comforting him quietly.
Vicki rested her chin on his shoulder and nestled her check against his neck. A single tear dripped from the tip of her nose onto Alec’s red T-shirt before Vicki burried her face in his chest.
Ooh, ooh When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you
Are secrets and lies
I'll be your strength I'll give you hope
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call
When standing here all alone
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Until the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
I've loved you forever
In lifetimes before
And I promise you never
Will you hurt anymore
I give you my word I give you my heart
This is a battle we've won
And with this vow
Forever has now begun
Just close your eyes
each loving day
And know this feeling won't go away
Till the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Over and over I thought
When I hear you call
Without you in my life baby
I just wouldn't be living at all
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Until the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Just close your eyes each loving day
And know this feeling won't go away
Till the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Every word I say is true
This I promise you
Ooh I promise you
Ruby smiled at her reflection, letting her dimple show. She really looked beautiful that night, dressed in a navy taffeta dress that contrasted sharply with her smooth, pale skin. Her hair was brushed long and flowing, splaying over her bare shoulders. Her makeup was kept to a minimum, but Ruby still glowed from within.
‘Jimmy is going to so drop dead when he sees me’, she thought happily.
“Knock, knock,” came a male voice from outside.
Ruby’s heart gave a little jump. ‘That must be him!’ she thought excitedly.
She gave herself another smile in the mirror before flouncing off to open the door.
As she flung open the door, she said, “I’m ready!” before she realized that the person was not Jimmy but Nicky. “Oh.” She said flatly.
Nicky laughed his deep masculine laugh. “Don’t sound so excited to see me,” he joked.
Ruby smiled, relaxing. “Sorry, I just didn’t expect you.”
“Yeah, I know. Big date with Jimbo. Which reminds me,” he said, slapping his forehead, “I’m supposed to pick you up.”
“What?” Ruby couldn’t believe her ears. What was Jimmy up to? Was he trying to set her up with Nicky? But she didn’t want Nicky. She wanted…
Nicky grinned at her. “Rubs, don’t sweat it. All Jimmy asked me to do was to drive you to the ‘secret meeting place’. The date with him is still on.”
Ruby blushed. Was she really so readable? Damn. Well, no use pondering over it now. She bit her lip and went to grab her cute little matching purse. She smiled as her fingers closed around the soft blue material. This was going to be a night that she’d remember for the rest of her life.
Jimmy tried to light the candle for the fourteenth time. It wasn’t easy, considering the breeze was blowing. ‘Whose bright idea was it to have dinner at the beach anyway? A little voice in his head responded immediately. “Yours.”
Seriously, though, tonight was going to be an out of this world experience. Ruby was going to love this “eating by the beach” concept so romantic. It was really romantic, actually, having a candlelight dinner with the sound of the waves crashing, the water flowing so near then dissolving into the sand just before it touched you…
A car honked twice. The signal. They were here.
Ruby daintily climbed out of Nicky’s jeep and gracefully made her way across the sand as Nicky speed away. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the beautiful surroundings.
He stood up and pulled the chair out like a perfect gentleman. Sitting across
the table, he noticed that she had placed one hand on the table. Smiling sweetly
at her, he covered the hand with his own.
He then looked into her eyes, those endless brown pools, and had the lightheaded
felling of drowning.
Actually Jimmy was wrong. What he felt wasn’t the feeling of drowning. It was
the sensation of falling in love.
Can this be true, tell me can this be real
How can I put into words what I feel
My life was complete,
I thought I was whole
Why do I feel like I'm losing control
I never thought that love could feel like this
Then you changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
There's an angel, it's a miracle
Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep
When I look into your eyes I know that it's true
God must have spent a little more time on you
Oh a little more time, yes he did baby
In all of creation, all things great and small
You are the one that surpasses them all
More precious than and diamond or pearl
They broke the mold when you came in this world
And I'm trying hard to figure out Just how I ever did without
The warmth of your smile, the heart of a child
That's deep inside and leaves me purified
Your love is like a river Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent a little more time on you
On you...
Yes he did baby
I never thought that love could feel like this
Then you changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
There's an angel, it's a miracle
Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep
When I look into your eyes I know that it's true
God must have spent a little more time on you
On you... God must have spent a little more time on you
A little more time on you, oh
It wasn’t some crap prank that her father had dreamed up. Besides. Mr. Zhao had absolutely no sense of humor.
Alec, Cambridge. Cambridge, Alec. Both. Neither.
She shut the computer down with an irritated sigh and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. How was she ever going to decide?
In the back of her mind, she knew that no matter what, she was definitely going. But a bigger, stupider part of her mind was telling her to stay, telling her that love was more important then anything else. That losing Alec was going to be the biggest mistake in her life. Stupider? Or smarter? That was what had Vicki so confused.
A little voice in her head started singing that old Powerpuff girl song over and over. “Love, love, love, love, love, makes the world go round…”:
‘Shut up!’ she commanded silently. What did those Puff girls know anyway? They were three kindergarten animated SUPERHEROS with oversize eye, for goodness sakes!
Stay, Go. Stay. Go……..Go.
Alec came home from the grocery store, humming happily. She swung the door to the kitchen open and spotted Vicki leaning against the counter, sipping a tall glass of skim milk. He crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck from behind.
Vicki spun around, nearly spilling the entire glass of milk.
Alec looked at her in puzzlement. Vicki’s expression was cold and harsh. But her eyes were full of pain. He squinted. Yes. Vicki was definitely in pain. But why?
Vicki looked at Alec’s confused face, and felt her resolve weaken. She should stay. Yes, she should….No, she mustn’t! She hardened her heart, and braced herself for all the pain that she was going, would always hereafter, feel.
“We have to break up.”
With these words, Alec could feel his entire world crash down on him. No, this was not true. He begged Vicki silently, looking at her with so, so, much pain, yet so, so, much love in his eyes.
Vicki looked into Alec’s eyes and felt a wave of emotions hit her, a wave of emotions, so strong, and even though she had steeled herself against it, it still managed to find its was into the deepest corners of her heart, where it burned, so strong, like fire on ice.
Fire on ice. The molten heat made her fell weak, the rushing heady feeling that Vicki believed nothing besides dying would bring. Because Vicki was dying. Her heart was dying, she was dying forevermore inside……
It takes a second to get a crush on someone,
An hour to like someone.
A day to love someone.
But it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
Well, it would take more then a lifetime for Vicki and Alec to forget each other.
Alec lay on his bed, staring at nothing. Because that was what his life had
become. Nothing.
Vicki had explained everything to him. She had to go. It was her dream. She was
letting herself, her family, she school, her moral beliefs down if she didn’t
go. And she didn’t want Alec to stay around waiting for her. He was free. So
was she. They were no longer AlecandVicki. Vickiandalec.
Alec looked around his room, the room which, just few days ago, was shared with him by Vicki. She had gotten Ruby to move her stuff out for her, because Vicki had gone back to their old apartment to pack up everything else and sell the house as Ruby was moving in.
He looked around the room. Everything reminding him of her. Even the smell of the room, smelled faintly of her shampoo.
Goodbye.
She was snapped out of her reverie as a smooth voice broke into her thoughts
“Flight SQ 005 boarding now. Flight SQ 005 from Taiwan to London direct, now boarding.”
After a round of handshakes and Ruby bursting into tears, Vicki settled down in her first-class seat. She looked out of the oval shaped window and glanced at the airport grow smaller and smaller as the plane took off.
It was over. As Taiwan disappeared out of sight, Vicki leaned back heavily against the seat.
What had she done? No…She had a big mistake. A big mistake. She should not be here. She should be with Alec. Safe in his arms. Not here. Not flying away from him. Vicki was now convulsed in sobs, her slim shoulders shaking violently.
There was no turning back.
Alec looked out the heavy glass window of the airport as the plane took off and disappeared behind the horizon. He could not resist one last glance of her. Because he would always love her. Truly Madly Deeply. Nobody, not anyone could ever take the place of Vicki in his heart.
“Alec!” he heard a female voice call him from behind. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine that it was Vicki, that she had changed her mind and that she wanted to be with him forever….
When he turned around, he realized that the person who called him was Ruby. She, Nairia, Jimmy, Benny and Nicky were walking towards the exit of the airport.
“Hey,” he gave a half-hearted smile and walked towards them. He expected
Benny to at least spew some lame wise crack. But, even he was quiet. They really
understood Alec’s need to be quiet now.
Everybody’s got something, they had to leave behind,
One regret from yesterday, that just seems to grow with time,
There’s no use looking back, oh wondering
How it could be now, oh might have been
Oh this I know, but still I can’t find ways to let you go,
I never had a dream come true
Till the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I’ve moved on
You’ll always be my baby,
I never found the words to say
You’re the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be with you.
Somewhere in my memory I’ve lost all sense of time,
And tomorrow can never be cos yesterday is all that fills my mind,
There’s no use looking back, oh wondering
How it should be now, oh might have been
Oh this I know but still I can’t find ways to let you go,
I never had a dream come true
Till the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I’ve moved on
You’ll always be my baby,
I never found the words to say
You’re the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be
You’ll always be the dream that fills my head
Yes you will, say you will, you know you will oh baby,
You’ll always be the one I know I’ll never forget,
There’s no use looking back oh wondering,
Because love is a strange and funny thing,
No matter how I try, I try I just can’t say goodbye, no no no no,
I never had a dream come true
Till the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I’ve moved on
You’ll always be my baby,
I never found the words to sayYou’re the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be with you. A part of me will always be with you,
oooohhh.
Assignment: Write a ten line [blank verse] poem about a strong sense of emotions that one might feel if they were leaving something/someone behind.
Forget…by Vicki Zhao.
I have gone far away
To another land
I can no longer hold your hand
I have to go but ache to stay
I dream of you each and every day
I remember of the future that we planned
I’m praying that you’ll understand
And a stream of thoughts which I once had
Better by far you should forget
Then to remember me and be sad.
Alec Su’s Palm journal.
Empty. I feel so empty. Life without Vicki for the past month might as well
be living in hell. No. I cannot go through this again. I cannot feel the pain
again. I need to fell numb.
Maybe I’ll go to the pub tonight. Seems to be my hobby nowadays. Every night I
go there and get woozy, then I’ll forget. Forget the pain.
Ruby’s Secret Diary.
Things with Jimmy are going great. I can’t believe we only made it offical
a month ago. I feel like I’ve known him my whole life.
Anyway. Benny has a new girlfriend .Cool huh? Her real name’s Pearly Tan. The
name sounds kind of weird, like some middle-aged woman but Pearly’s as
gorgeous as ever. She and Benny get along great
I am sooooooo worried about Alec. All he does is drink and drink. He is totally
WASTING his life away. Even Jimmy can’t do anything. All he does when he’s
not totally zonked out is moan and moan about missing Vicki. Losing Vicki.
Wanting Vicki. Needing Vicki.
You know what? I agree with him. And I think another person does too. Vicki.
Maybe I should have a chat with my best friend.
